Sales Rise for Novel Pulled by Publisher

NEW YORK - Here's an unusual way to boost sales: Have the publisher withdraw a novel because it contained passages lifted from other authors.

A day after Q.R. Markham's "Assassin of Secrets" was pulled by Little, Brown and Co., readers are apparently hurrying to snap up remaining copies. The book's ranking jumped on Amazon.com from 62,924 on Tuesday afternoon to 174 on Wednesday afternoon, making it the online retailer's No. 2 "Mover & Shaker."

The book was released Nov. 3 with an initial printing of 6,500, but within days Little, Brown learned that Markham had lifted material from James Bond novels and other sources. A planned second book from Markham also has been canceled.

Markham's real name is Quentin Rowan, a 35-year-old resident of New York's Brooklyn borough and an investor in the Brooklyn-based Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers.

Markham and his agent, David Peak of Vigliano Associates, haven't returned phone messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.